Portales Police Captain arrested

PORTALES, New Mexico--A Portales Police Captain is in hot water after allegedly shredding traffic citations before they could be filed into the city's data base.

Police Captain Lonnie Berry was arrested Dec. 8 on three counts of tampering with public records.

Each count is a fourth degree felony offense and punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

The investigation has been ongoing since June and was conducted by agents from the District Attorney's Office and New Mexico State Police.

The investigation allegedly began when a Portales police officer reported that Berry was removing and disposing of traffic citations issued to a Portales citizen before they were able to be logged.

The investigation led agents to discover that on three separate occasions over the past 9-months, Captain Berry entered into the records division at the Portales Police Department and removed 8 different traffic citations issued by Portales Police officers.